The Snake and the Rose
by Emmie0928
Summary: Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley have never gotten along. So how do they end up falling in love?
1. Chapter 1

_This is a sequel/spin-off to my story called "The Filthy Little Blood Traitor", about Draco and Astoria. This first chapter is from their POV, but the rest of the chapters will mainly be from Scorpius's POV. It's not necessary to read the prequel, but if you want to check it out, it will give you some background info. It's not that long either._

_Anyway I hope you enjoy the story!_

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><p>Tap… tap… tap…<p>

Draco looked up from the _Daily Prophet_.

Seeing a large tawny owl at the kitchen window, he said, "Astoria, honey, it's Scorpius' s owl."

Astoria's fork clattered as it hit her plate. Draco watched in amusement as she jumped up from the breakfast table and nearly sprinted towards the window. Their son had been gone for only a few days, but Draco was pretty sure Astoria was already counting down the days to his Christmas holiday.

She came back and sat down, her eyes already skimming over the letter.

"Read it out loud," said Draco.

Though he'd never admit it to anyone, he was also counting down the days. After all this was the first time either of them had ever been away from their son for more than a few days.

Neither he nor Astoria were used to Scorpius being gone yet. The house seemed eerily quiet. There was no loud music blasting whatever band it was that the kids were listening to these days. It certainly wasn't _The Weird Sisters _whatever it was. There was no one to constantly pester him while he tried to get work done. There was no one for Astoria to scold for running in the house.

Astoria cleared her throat and began to read.

_Dear Mum and Dad,_

_First off, Dad, you'll be happy to know that I've been sorted into Slytherin._

"Of course he was," said Draco, proudly. "Chip off the old block, that one."

_So far Hogwarts is great. My favorite class so far is Herbology. Professor Longbottom is really cool!_

Draco choked on his toast.

Astoria smirked. "Or maybe he isn't," she said.

Draco glared at her. "Just keep reading."

_On the train I had to sit with Rose Weasley. She's a nightmare! I've never met a bigger know-it-all in my life._

Draco was relieved. At least some things were still right in the world.

_The good news is I also sat with Albus Potter, who's way cooler. And he's in Slytherin with me!_

"Wait, what?" Draco nearly shouted. "Potter's kid is a Slytherin? Has the world gone mad?"

"Shush, Draco. Let me finish," said Astoria.

_Luckily Rose Weasley is in Gryffindor. Well I've got to get to class now. I'll write soon, Mum, don't worry._

_Love, Scorpius._

Draco barely heard the last part. He was still in shock.

Astoria looked at him, with his mouth still hanging slightly open, and rolled her eyes.

"Really, Draco, close your mouth. You're going to catch flies."

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><p><em>Thanks for reading. Please review!<em>


	2. Chapter 2

When people first met Scorpius Malfoy, they automatically assumed he was just like his father. After all, he had the same blond hair and grey eyes as Draco. He was just as smart, cunning, and charming. And at times he could be a bit spoiled and arrogant.

But when they spent a little more time getting to know him, they found that he was actually quite a bit different than Draco.

For one thing, the Dark Arts that had pulled Draco in when he was young had as much appeal to Scorpius as a loaf of moldy bread. "Voldemort was just a murderous psychopath," he had once said.

And of course there was the fact that he couldn't care less about blood purity. His mother had raised him to be just as much of a blood traitor as she was. He had pureblood friends, half-blood friends, and muggleborn friends. Discrimination pissed him off. In his fourth year he punched Andrew Nott in the face for calling Hailey Wilson a mudblood. He got detention for a week, but he didn't care. Nott also got detention… and a broken nose.

Scorpius was also the best friend of none other than Albus Potter and he loved Neville Longbottom's Herbology class. Draco still didn't like talking about it.

But even with all the differences from his father, Scorpius Malfoy could not stand Rose Weasley. It had nothing to do with who her family was; he just couldn't deal with her bossy, know-it-all personality. It seemed to him that the only thing that Ron Weasley had given her was her hair color; the rest of her was all her mother. Unfortunately for him, Al and Rose were extremely close, which forced him and Rose together way more than either of them wanted.

One afternoon on a normal Saturday in their 6th year, Scorpius, Albus, and, to Scorpius's deep annoyance, Rose were sitting in the library doing homework.

Scorpius groaned as he stared down at his Ancient Runes textbook. "This is too much work!"

Rose popped out from behind her own textbook.

It's really not that difficult, Malfoy. Would you like some help?" she asked in a superior tone.

"No, Weasley, I would not like your help," snapped Scorpius. "Need I remind you that my grades are just as good as yours in all our classes?"

Rose glared at him. She did not need reminding. It was a fact that bugged her to no end. He didn't even seem like he tried half the time, whereas she worked her butt off to keep her grades perfect.

Scorpius smirked as he looked at the annoyed expression on her face.

"In fact," continued Scorpius. "If I remember correctly, I got a higher grade than you on the last Ancient Runes test."

Rose was seething with anger now. Her face was almost as red as her hair.

Meanwhile, Albus tried to hide behind his parchment. He found that when his two best friends started fighting, it was best to stay out of it.

Rose stood up suddenly, slamming her book shut.

"Come on Al, let's go study somewhere else," she said, grabbing her cousin's arm and yanking him up.

Albus knew it would be pointless to argue with her when she was this mad.

"Sorry, mate," he said, tossing Scorpius a sympathetic look as he followed Rose out of the library.

Scorpius shrugged, already distracted. He had just spotted Abby Tarver across the room. He grinned and stood up.

"Hey Abby," he called, ignoring the nasty look the librarian was giving him. "You busy tonight?"

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><p><em>Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are appreciated.<em>


	3. Chapter 3

Astoria and Draco were sitting in the parlor one summer evening. Astoria was writing a letter to her sister Daphne and Draco was reading the paper when they heard what sounded, to Astoria, like a stampede of elephants…or maybe just a teenage boy charging down the stairs. There was hardly a difference.

Scorpius came bursting into the room.

No running in the house, Scorpius," scolded Astoria.

Scorpius ignored her. "Guess what?" he said excitedly.

Draco sighed and set down his newspaper. "What?" he asked.

"I'm Head Boy!" he said, waving the badge he had just received with his Hogwarts letter in the air.

"Oh, sweetie, that's wonderful," said Astoria, getting up to give him hug.

Draco grinned. "That's my boy," he said proudly.

Suddenly Scorpius's smile disappeared.

"Shit," he said.

"Scorpius, watch your language!" snapped Astoria.

Draco chuckled and Astoria whirled around to face him.

"What's so funny?" she demanded.

"Bit hypocritical, don't you think? You have a mouth like a sailor when you're angry," Draco replied.

Astoria's eyes narrowed. "Don't make me hex you, Malfoy," she said, sounding a lot like her teenage self suddenly.

Draco smirked and went back to reading _The Daily Prophet._

Astoria turned back to her son. "What's wrong?" she asked him.

"Rose Weasley is probably Head Girl," he said, looking very sulky. "I'm going upstairs," he added, before turning and walking out of the room.

Astoria shook her head, amazed at how fast his mood had changed.

She sat back down and picked her quill and parchment back up. After a few minutes of silence, with only the occasional scratch of her quill across the parchment, she spoke.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they fell in love someday."

"Who?" asked Draco absentmindedly.

"Scorpius and Rose."

"He's not going to fall in love with a Weasley," Draco replied.

"He's best friends with a Potter," Astoria pointed out.

Scorpius and Rose hate each other," argued Draco.

"We hated each other."

Draco sighed, annoyed that she had a point.

"Maybe being Head Boy and Girl together will make them realize their feelings for each other," Astoria said.

"But isn't Scorpius dating that Ravenclaw girl? What's her name? Anna? Abby?" asked Draco.

"They broke up right before school ended," Astoria reminded him.

Draco rolled his eyes. "I can't keep track. That boy goes through girlfriends like I go through socks."

Astoria laughed. "You're exaggerating, Draco. "If that's really the case, then you really need to start changing your socks a lot more."

Draco laughed for a moment, and then his expression turned serious again.

"They're never going to fall in love."

"Care to bet on that?"

You're betting on your son's love life?"

"You in or not?" asked Astoria.

"I'm in," replied Draco.

"Okay then, 10 Galleons that they fall in love," said Astoria firmly.

They shook on it.

Then the handshake turned into a kiss.

"Let's go up to our room," suggested Draco.

"Good idea," replied Astoria, following him out of the door.

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><p><em>I hope you don't mind that this was from Draco and Astoria's POV again. I know for a fact that the next several chapters at least will be at Hogwarts and be from the POV of Scorpius and maybe some Rose.<em>

_Tkanks for reading! Review please._


	4. Chapter 4

Scorpius was right. Rose Weasley was indeed the Head Girl.

They avoided each other as much as possible. When one of them was in the common room that was meant to be shared by the two of them, the other one was in their respective House common room, the library, or really anywhere else. When one of them was hanging out with Albus, the other was not.

They only ever talked about things that pertained to being Head Boy and Girl. They would briefly discuss nightly rounds or school events as quickly as possible, while trying to remain civil. It didn't usually work. They somehow always found something to bicker about.

Rose Weasley approached Scorpius one Thursday evening in mid-October. He was sprawled out on a couch in their common room in front of the fireplace, writing an essay.

He glanced up as she stopped in front of him.

"Can I help you with something, Weasley?" he asked, annoyed that he would have to talk to her.

"I just wanted to let you know that we have a meeting with the prefects next Tuesday at 7 pm," said Rose quickly and she turned to leave.

"Tuesday doesn't work for me," Scorpius called to her retreating figure.

Rose turned back around, her hands on her hips. "And why is that, Malfoy?" she asked

"I told Stacey Peters that I'd help her study for her Transfiguration test Tuesday evening," he replied.

Rose rolled her eyes. "I see. And where will this study session be taking place? A broom cupboard?"

"Just change the day of the meeting, Weasley," said Scorpius.

'I'll do no such thing!" snapped Rose, her voice rising an octave. "The meeting is Tuesday and you better be there."

"What about Stacey?"

"Trust me Malfoy, there's nothing in the world that would help that girl get a good grade on a test. Except maybe a brain transplant," replied Rose, as she turned and walked away.

"See you Tuesday," she called over her shoulder.

A few weeks later, Scorpius was passing through their common room on his way to breakfast when he heard a sob. He turned and saw Rose curled up on the couch, her face buried in her hands.

For a second, Scorpius considered ignoring her and going to breakfast. He was extremely hungry and the thought of a plate piled high with scrambled eggs and bacon made his stomach growl.

But then he heard another sob, louder than the last, and he found himself approaching her.

"Weasley?" he said hesitantly.

Rose lifted up her head. Her eyes were red and puffy and her face was tearstained.

"Er," said Scorpius, feeling uncomfortable. "Are you okay?"

Rose shook her head. "My Grandpa died."

"Arthur Weasley?" asked Scorpius.

"No, my mum's dad." Rose wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

Scorpius pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to her. She looked surprised, but took it anyway.

"I'm never going to see him again," she said and to Scorpius's horror, she began to cry again.

He froze for a moment, not sure what to do. Finally he sat down next to her.

"You'll see him again someday."

Rose continued crying.

Scorpius suddenly remembered how when he was little and would cry, his mum would rub his back.

Before he could reconsider, he reached out and began moving his hand in slow, rhythmic circles on Rose's back. She didn't pull away.

After a few minutes, her crying turned into sniffling and then she finally fell silent.

"Why are you being so nice?" she asked suddenly.

"I have no idea," Scorpius replied.

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><p><em>Thanks for reading! Don't forget to leave a review.<em>


	5. Chapter 5

A month later, Scorpius was standing in the common room, about to meet Albus and head to Hogsmeade, when Rose came downstairs.

She was wearing a dress and expensive looking boots. Her usually bushy hair was sleek and shiny. Even Scorpius couldn't help but think that she looked pretty.

"What are you all dressed up for?" he asked, wondering why he cared.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I have a date," she replied.

"Somebody asked _you_ out?"

"It might be shocking to you, Malfoy, but not everyone finds me repulsive," snapped Rose.

"I never said you were repulsive. You look nice enough. It's just your personality that's annoying as hell," Scorpius shot back.

Rose tried to ignore the way her heart sped up when he said she looked nice.

"Yes well, Mark Roberts must not think I'm annoying."

"You're going out with Mark Roberts? You can't be serious!" said Scorpius, horrified.

"What's wrong with Mark Roberts?"

"He's a jerk, Weasley."

"Well that's a bit like the pot calling the kettle black, isn't it?" replied Rose. "He seems like a perfectly nice person, which is a lot more than I can say about you."

"You don't know him like I do, Weasley. I shared a dorm with him for six years. He's not a nice person, trust me."

"Yeah well, shockingly enough, I _don't_ trust you, Malfoy," said Rose, her voice heavy with sarcasm. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a date to get to." And with that she pushed open the door and stormed out.

For a moment, Scorpius just stood there. Then he headed out the door as well.

Walking down the corridor, he suddenly realized he was no longer in the mood to go to Hogsmeade.

"Scorpius!" he heard a voice call.

He turned around and saw Albus and Blaise Zabini II hurrying towards him.

"We were just on our way to your room to get you. Why didn't you wait for us?" asked Al.

"Sorry, mate. I don't think I'm going to Hogsmeade today," replied Scorpius. "You two go on without me."

"You sure?" asked Blaise.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'll see you guys later."

Instead of heading back to his common room, Scorpius went to the one place he always went when he wanted to be alone. The greenhouse.

Professor Longbottom had given him a spare key when Scorpius had been his second year. He knew how much Scorpius enjoyed Herbology class and figured it couldn't hurt to let him come tend to the plants whenever he wanted to.

"Don't tell anyone about this, Scorpius. It's definitely against the rules," he had told him. "But you have a green thumb and it seems a shame to let that talent go waste."

Scorpius unlocked the door and slipped inside. He took a deep breath. The smell of dirt and flowers and whatever else was in there never failed to make him feel better.

He sat down in a nearby chair and closed his eyes. Sometimes he forgot how nice it was to be alone.

A half hour later, the door creaked open. Scorpius opened his eyes.

"Oh hey, Professor," he said, when he saw Neville Longbottom there.

"Well hello, Scorpius. I didn't expect to find you in here. Shouldn't you be in Hogsmeade?"

"I wasn't in the mood," replied Scorpius.

"Is there anything you'd like to talk to me about?" asked Neville, picking up on Scorpius's glum tone.

"No thank you, Professor. I think I'm just going to go now," Scorpius answered, standing up and heading for the door.

"Scorpius," Neville called after him. "If you never do need to talk, I'm here."

Scorpius glanced back over his shoulder. "Thanks, Professor. I'll remember that," he said, before heading out the door.

With all his friends in Hogsmeade, Scorpius decided to head to the library to get some homework done.

A few hours later, after completing his Potions essay and catching up on his Ancient Runes reading, he walked back to the common room.

Rose was sitting on the couch. Scorpius could tell she'd been crying. Her cheeks were streaked with mascara.

She looked up when he approached her.

"Well," he said. "This is the second time in a month I've found you crying. Let's hope this doesn't become a regular thing."

"Well, luckily no one's dead this time," said Rose, her voice quivering.

Scorpius just stood there, waiting to see if she would continue.

"You were right," she finally said.

"I usually am," he replied. "But what exactly was I right about?"

"Mark is a jerk."

"What'd he do to you?" Scorpius asked.

"Well," Rose began, "the date started out great. We went to Honeydukes and he bought me my favorite candy. We went to the Three Broomsticks and he bought me a butterbeer. But then after we'd talked for a little bit, he asked me to come back to his dormitory with him. I told him no, that it was our first date and I wasn't ready for that. But he kept insisting, no matter how many times I said no."

Rose took a deep breath, trying not to start crying again.

"I tried to get up and leave, but he grabbed my hand and took me behind the building. He started kissing me and when I tried to shove him off me, he just kissed me harder. Luckily somebody walked by then, and I was able to escape and come back here before… you know."

Scorpius did know. And he suddenly felt extremely protective of her.

"Go ahead and say it," Rose said.

"Say what?" he asked.

"Say I told you so," she answered.

"I'm not that big of a jerk, Weasley," said Scorpius.

Rose nodded, looking relieved. Then she stood up. "I'm going to go lay down on my bed," she said and headed for the stairs.

'"Hey Weasley," Scorpius said.

She turned around. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry that happened to you," he said, quietly.

For the first time in possibly forever, Rose gave Scorpius a small smile.

"Thanks," she said, before turning around and heading upstairs.

A week later, Rose found Scorpius in the common room.

"I just wanted to let you know that we have a meeting Tuesday evening," she said.

"Sorry, I can't make it on Tuesday," said Scorpius.

"What girl are you meeting this time?"

"Actually, I have detention," he replied.

Rose's mouth dropped open. "_You_ have detention?"

"Yep," he replied matter-of-factly.

"Why?" she asked.

"I punched Mark Roberts in the face."

"Why?" Rose repeated, stunned.

"No girl deserves what he did to you, Weasley," he answered.

Rose stood there for minute, unsure how to respond.

"We can have the meeting Wednesday," she finally said.

"I'll be there," he said.


	6. Chapter 6

Rose was sitting at a table in the common room, her books and parchment spread out all around her. It was early January and now that the holidays were over, her NEWTs seemed closer than ever. Her face was buried in a textbook when Scorpius slid into the chair across from her.

She looked up. "What do you want, Malfoy?" she asked, annoyed.

"Professor McGonagall has just informed me that we need to plan a dance," he replied.

"A dance? Hogwarts doesn't have dances."

"Well apparently some girls complained about that fact, so now Hogwarts is having a dance."

"Why would anyone complain about that?" asked Rose. She hated dances.

"Oh, I don't know," answered Scorpius sarcastically. "Why would anyone want to do something fun when they could be studying instead?"

Rose glared at him. "It's not a bad thing to want to get good grades, Malfoy," she said angrily.

"No it's not. Obviously I like getting good grades just as much as you, Weasley. But that doesn't mean I spend every second of my free time studying."

"I don't spend every second of my free time studying," Rose protested.

"Yes you do. Especially ever since that date you had with Roberts. Just because one arsehole treated you badly one time, doesn't mean you should give up on ever having fun again."

Rose just sat there, not sure how to respond.

"You know Weasley, sometimes it's not a bad thing to read a book simply because it's enjoyable and not because it's educational or to blow off a homework assignment to play a game of Wizard's Chess."

"Please leave," Rose finally said.

"Nope," said Scorpius. "I'm not done talking yet. When was the last time you broke a rule?"

"I've broken rules."

"Name a specific time then," Scorpius challenged her.

Rose was silent. Scorpius smirked at her.

"Just as I thought, you probably never have."

"Just because I can't think of certain time, doesn't mean I haven't," Rose argued.

"You're worse than your mother. From what I've heard, she broke quite a few rules back in the day. She even blew off her seventh year to go hunting Horcruxes."

"She's muggleborn, Malfoy," Rose reminded him. "She wasn't allowed to go to school that year."

"Yeah, but I bet if you weren't allowed here, you'd spend the entire year locked in your room at home, studying all by yourself."

"There's nothing wrong with that," she replied.

He just looked at her for a moment.

"You," he said, "need to break a rule."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. In fact, I _dare you_ to break a rule."

"I can't."

"You scared, Weasley?" he taunted

"No."

"Then do it," he replied.

"Fine, I will," she said, regretting the words as soon as they came out of her mouth.

"Excellent," said Scorpius, smiling.

"What should I do?" she asked nervously.

"Let's sneak off the grounds. You, Al, and I. London. Friday night," he answered.

"Are you crazy? What if we get caught?"

"That's what makes it fun, Weasley."

"How will we get there? You can't apparate anywhere from Hogwarts."

"No, but you can apparate from Hogsmeade," said Scorpius, standing up.

"We'll meet here at 11:00 on Friday night," he added, before walking away.

Friday night arrived and Rose found herself pacing around the common room, waiting for Scorpius and Albus.

The door swung open and in walked Al.

"Hey Rosie," he said. "You ready to go break some rules?"

"This is such a bad idea," she said.

Albus swung his arm around her shoulder. "Relax, Rose, nothing's gonna go wrong."

"What if someone finds out and reports us?"

"Nobody will know if you and Scorpius are gone, since you've this place to yourselves. And I told Blaise to hex Nott or Roberts if they somehow find out I'm gone," Al replied.

Catching sight of Rose's alarmed expression, he added, "But they won't. There are curtains around the beds, you know."

Finally, Scorpius appeared. "Hey Al," he said, "You ready to go?"

"I am indeed," Albus answered. "Let's do this."

"How are we going to get out of the castle?" asked Rose.

"The door," replied Scorpius. "Obviously."

"What if Filch is around?"

Albus waved the Marauder's Map that James had given him after he'd graduated in the air. "If he's around, I'll know."

"What if the door creaks and someone hears?"

"There's this thing called the Silencing Charm. It works like _magic_!" replied Scorpius.

"What if…" Rose began.

"Seriously, Weasley, shut up," Scorpius snapped, cutting her off.

Thirty minutes later, the three of them were standing in Hogsmeade.

"Okay, both of you grab my arm. I know just where we should go," said Scorpius.

Moments later, they appeared outside a club in London.

"How are we going to get inside? We don't have muggle IDs," said Rose.

A few minutes later, they were inside the club. Scorpius had confunded the bouncer, as well as everybody they cut in line.

Rose glanced around at the large crowd of people. She felt claustrophobic.

"I'm going to the bathroom," she announced, hurrying away.

Al turned to Scorpius. "So what's going on between the two of you?"

"What do you mean?" Scorpius asked, confused.

"I don't know. You just seem like you're getting along slightly better than before. Both of you seem more willing to carry on a conversation or spend time with the other. Why is that?"

Scorpius shrugged. "I guess we just figured that we should try to get along better since we have to share a common room and stuff," he replied.

"That's the only reason?" Albus asked.

"There's a girl checking you out," Scorpius said suddenly.

"Don't change the subject, Scorp."

Scorpius ignored him. "She's hot," he added.

"How hot?" asked Albus, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Smokin' hot," replied Scorpius.

Albus turned around. "Damn," he said, catching sight of the girl.

"You should go talk to her," advised Scorpius.

"I should?"

"Yes," said Scorpius, giving him a small push in her direction.

"Okay," said Albus. "I will."

A minute after he left, Rose appeared.

"That was quick," Scorpius said.

"The line was too long. I gave up."

She looked around. "Where's Al?"

"Talking to some girl," replied Scorpius.

"Why aren't you?"

"I'm planning on it. I just thought I'd wait until you got back. So you'd know where we were."

"I see," said Rose.

"So I'll just be going now," he said, turning away. Then he stopped and turned back.

"You should go find a guy to talk to or dance with," he said. "Just try not to find someone who's a huge prick this time," he added.

"Maybe I will," said Rose, as she watched him disappear into the crowd.

At four in the morning, Scorpius and Albus stumbled out of the club, followed closely by Rose.

"That was fuuunnnn!" slurred Albus.

"Mhmm," agreed Scorpius. "We should do it again," he said, as he tripped over a crack in the sidewalk.

"Now let's apparate back to… to… whatcha call it? Pigfarts?"

"Hogwarts," corrected a very sober Rose. "And neither of you are apparating anywhere. You're side-along apparating with me."

She led both of them into a deserted alley and grabbed each of them around the wrist.

A moment later they appeared in an alley in Hogsmeade.

"You two need to be very quiet," she whispered. "We can't get caught."

"You're so bossy," said Scorpius very loudly.

"Shhh, she said be quiet," giggled Albus, just as loudly.

Rose rolled her eyes. She pulled out her wand and used the Silencing charm on both of them.

It took much longer to get back to Hogwarts than it had taken to get to Hogsmeade. Albus and Scorpius kept stumbling into each other and getting distracted by everything.

But somehow Rose managed to get them into the castle and into the common room she shared with Scorpius, without being caught. Once there, she promptly disposed of them, one on the armchair and one on the couch, and headed up to bed.

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><p><em>Thanks for reading! Review please, they make writing this worth it.<em>


	7. Chapter 7

The next few weeks were a flurry of dance preparations. Until then Rose had no idea that planning a dance could take so much effort. She and Scorpius had to take care of music, decorations, and food.

The afternoon of the dance, Rose was standing in the Great Hall instructing the band about where to set up. Scorpius was busy ordering around a group of first year volunteers (aka first years serving detention) about how to assemble the centerpieces.

"Argh!" she heard him shout in frustration, when a yet another first year dropped the centerpiece he'd been working on.

"Professor, can't I just get some of the prefects to assemble these with magic?" he said, turning to look at Professor McGonagall with pleading eyes. "It would go much faster."

"No, Malfoy, I'm afraid not," she said, her voice stern. "This is detention for these students. We can't let them off easily."

"Whatever happened to writing lines?" Scorpius muttered under his breath.

"Malfoy, these students set fire to the Divination room. Luckily the fire was put out quickly, but the damage could have been much worse. I don't think lines would be quite harsh enough," said McGonagall.

"Shouldn't Professor Trelawny have seen that coming and stopped it?" asked Scorpius sarcastically.

Rose couldn't help but laugh at that. Scorpius glanced over at her, smirking.

"I always knew you thought I was funny, Weasley," he said.

Rose rolled her eyes and turned back to the band quickly.

That evening Rose stood nervously outside the Great Hall, peering in the doorway. The dance hadn't begun yet, but there were still a lot of students milling about.

"What are you freaking out about already?" she heard a voice say behind her.

She spun around and there was Scorpius, looking even more handsome than usual in brand new dress robes.

Rose began to blush furiously. She had _not_ just thought that Scorpius Malfoy was handsome.

"I'm just afraid the dance is going to be a disaster," she told him, as she began to pace around.

"After all the effort you put into this, there's no way in hell it's going to be a disaster," Scorpius said calmly.

Rose opened her mouth to reply, when Professor McGonagall appeared.

"Ah, there you are,'' she said. "Are you two ready to lead the first dance?"

"What?" they both said in unison.

"Being Head Boy and Girl and coordinators of this dance, I think it would make perfect sense for you two to dance together in the first dance."

Scorpius groaned. "Are you kidding, Professor? Having the two of us dance together is a recipe for disaster."

"No, Malfoy, I am not kidding. And I expect you and Miss Weasley to be on your best behavior. Do not let your childish feud make our school look bad."

Rose peered into the Great Hall again. It had filled up significantly with students since she'd last checked.

McGonagall noticed to. "I think I'll go alert the band to start playing in a few minutes. You two better get ready." She walked away.

Scorpius held out his arm to her. "Let's just get this over with," he said. She grabbed his arm and allowed him to lead her into the Great Hall. The music began to play.

Scorpius led her into the middle of the dance floor.

"I can't dance," she whispered.

"Well lucky for you, I'm an excellent dancer," Scorpius whispered back. "I got it from my father."

He grabbed her right hand in his left and set his other hand on her waist.

As soon as he made contact with her waist, Rose felt a sharp tingle shoot through her body. She looked at him, wondering if he had felt it too. If he had, his face gave nothing away.

"You're supposed to put your hand on my shoulder, Weasley," he hissed.

"I know that, Malfoy. I was just about to," she snapped, doing as he said. In truth she had completely forgotten.

Scorpius began leading her around the dance floor. He hadn't been lying, she thought. He really was an excellent dancer.

All she could focus on was not tripping.

"Relax, Weasley," said Scorpius. "Stop being so tense. Just enjoy yourself."

Rose tried to relax and a few minutes into the dance she found she had. Other couples had joined them on the floor, so she no longer felt like the center of attention.

"You know, you're not actually doing too badly, Weasley," said Scorpius.

"Don't sound so shocked, Malfoy," she said.

Albus danced by with some blonde girl Rose didn't know. She smiled at him and waved.

"Hey Rosie," he said, smiling back.

Rose turned back to Scorpius. He was staring at her.

"What?" she said, suddenly self-conscious.

"You look beautiful," he told her.

"Thanks," she said, uncertainly.

She felt so confused. First the tingle when he touched her and now this. What was happening?

At that moment the music ended. Scorpius dropped her hand.

"See you around, Weasley," he said and he was gone.

Rose stood there in the middle of the floor, more confused than ever.

A loud, fast song started playing and students began wildly dancing around her.

She quickly hurried off the dance floor.

She found Albus standing by the punch bowl, ladling some punch into a cup.

"Hey," she said walking up to him. "Where's your date?"

He gestured to the dance floor.

"Why aren't you with her?"

Al laughed. "You've seen me dance, Rose."

Rose began to laugh too. "Good point," she said.

"So where's Scorpius?" he asked, as he led her over to a table.

She sat down next to him.

"How should I know?" she said.

"You were dancing with him earlier."

"McGonagall forced us into it," she said.

"Well, neither of you seemed too upset about it, from what I saw," Al said. "And you were blushing like mad over something he said to you," he added. "Care to tell me what that was?"

"He said I looked beautiful," she replied quietly.

Albus raised his eyebrows. "Really?" he asked.

Rose nodded.

"Hmm," he said.

Later that night, after the dance had ended, Albus found Scorpius cleaning up the decorations.

"Hey," said Scorpius. "Care to help me with this?"

"Sure," said Albus, pulling out his wand.

They worked in quietly for a few minutes before Al finally spoke up.

"Do you fancy Rose?" he asked.

Scorpius looked up from what he was doing. "Are you crazy? Why would you even think that?"

"She told me that you told her she was beautiful," Albus replied.

Scorpius glanced across the room, where Rose was helping the band pack up.

"Well, she is," he said. "But that doesn't mean I fancy her. She annoys the hell out of me. You know that."

Albus looked at him incredulously.

"I suppose so," he said finally. "I'm really tired, mate. I think I'm gonna head back to my dorm now. See you tomorrow."

"See you," said Scorpius absentmindedly.

Later, Rose and Scorpius were lying wide awake in their beds. Neither of them could sleep. They were both too confused.

* * *

><p><em>Things are heating up! I hope you liked the chapter. Don't forget to review.<em>


	8. Chapter 8

Rose Weasley walked into the library and looked around. Almost all the tables were filled, as students were being loaded down with more and more homework as final exams drew nearer. Only one table had available seats left and it was currently being occupied by none other than Scorpius Malfoy.

Rose considered turning around and heading back to her common room. But she really did need to have access to the books in the library for several of her essays. For this reason she found herself approaching Scorpius's table.

He looked up and saw her standing there.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Er… May I sit here?" Rose asked, feeling uncomfortable. She only ever sat at the same table as Scorpius when Albus was also around. And Albus was currently in detention with Professor McGonagall. Third time in a month. That boy really needed to start doing his homework, Rose thought.

Scorpius hesitated, but gave a quick nod.

Rose sat down, pulling her books from bag and setting to work quickly. Soon enough her she was scribbling furiously on her parchment, determined to finish her Potions essay that evening.

They worked in quietly for fifteen minutes before Scorpius broke the silence with a groan.

"This makes no sense!"

Rose glanced at the book he was currently staring at. Ancient Runes.

"Would you like some help?" she asked.

Scorpius suddenly remembered the previous year when she'd asked him the same thing. Back then he'd snapped at her and things had quickly escalated into an argument.

Her voice sounded different this time though. She didn't ask the question in a condescending manner, as if she couldn't wait to prove how much smarter she was than him. She asked like she genuinely wanted to help him.

Scorpius realized that Al had been right at the club. He and Rose _were_ getting along slightly better than before. He wondered when exactly that had happened. Or even why it had happened.

"Sure," he replied, feeling as surprised by his answer as Rose looked.

"Oh," she said, caught off guard. "Well, what doesn't make sense?"

"Anything on this page," he said, pushing the book closer to her.

"Oh good," she said, leaning in. "I understand this part quite well. It's the previous page that I was confused about."

"Really?" asked Scorpius. "That made a lot of sense to me. I can help you with it after this if you'd like."

Rose smiled. "That'd be great," she said, wondering when Scorpius had become so generous.

Twenty minutes later, Albus walked into the library. He'd promised Scorpius he'd meet him there after his detention. He stopped in tracks when he saw Scorpius and Rose, sitting side by side, heads bent over the same textbook. He watched as Rose said something and Scorpius gave a loud laugh in response.

Everyone in the library turned to stare at them, but they didn't seem to notice.

Al shook his head, backing out of the library.

"So she annoys the hell out of you, huh, Scorp?" he muttered under his breath as he headed back to the Slytherin common room.

* * *

><p><em>Sorry this chapter was so short, it was kind of a filler chapter. The next chapter will definitely be longer.<em>

_Please leave me a review!_


	9. Chapter 9

"Hey Albus," said Rose, running up to him in the Great Hall at dinner the next evening. "Have you seen Malfoy?"

Al paused, his fork halfway to his mouth.

"You want to know where Scorpius is?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do. He told me he'd help me with my homework."

Albus raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

"Yes but I can't find him anywhere."

"Well I haven't seen him recently. Have you checked the greenhouse?"

"Why would he be in the greenhouse?" asked Rose, confused.

"He sometimes goes there to be alone," Albus responded.

"Okay, I'll go check there," said Rose, turning around.

"Thanks!" she called over her shoulder as she hurried away.

When Rose reached the greenhouse, she was surprised to find the door slightly ajar.

She slipped inside and, glancing around, spotted Scorpius sitting in a corner. His arms were clutched tightly around his legs and his face was down.

"Malfoy," she whispered.

He lifted his head up, his arms dropping to his sides. There was no sign of tears on his face, but his expression was grim.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Go away, Weasley," he responded, his voice cold.

"No," she said, not moving from where she stood. "Tell me what's wrong."

He let out a heavy sigh. "My aunt Daphne's sick," he said. "The healers don't know if they'll be able to do anything for her."

Rose crossed the room and slid down next to him.

"Are you and your aunt close?" she asked.

Scorpius nodded. "And if she died it would kill my mum," he said. "They weren't close as kids, but as adults they've really reconnected. They're together all the time."

Rose looked down at his hand, lying on the ground. She slid her own hand across the cold floor and grabbed his, giving it a squeeze.

Scorpius felt a tingle shoot up his arm.

"Scorpius…," Rose said.

"You've never called me 'Scorpius' before," he said, before she could finish her sentence.

"No I suppose I haven't," she replied, her voice quiet.

He turned his head and their eyes met. He found himself leaning in closer. Her eyes closed.

Their lips met.

Rose shifted her body so faced him more, their bodies pressed against each other. They continued to kiss. Rose reached up and ran her hands through his silky hair.

They were both too engrossed in each other to notice the door open or to hear the sound of footsteps.

The sound of a loud throat clearing startled them. They quickly separated, putting as much distance between themselves as possible.

"Professor Longbottom!" Rose squeaked, her face turning a deep shade of red.

Neville stared down at the two of them, his eyebrows raised.

"Well I must admit, I was not expecting this," he said finally.

Rose stared at the ground, waiting for him to start scolding them or to start threatening to write her parents. She shuddered as she pictured her dad's reaction.

"I thought you had more sense than this," Neville began.

Rose braced herself. Here it comes, she thought.

But looking up, she realized Neville was grinning.

"Getting involved with this one? You could do better," he said, chuckling.

"So we're not in trouble?" she asked.

"No, but why don't you head on back to the castle now, Rose," said Neville.

Rose stood up. "Thanks, Professor," she said, heading for the door.

Scorpius got up to follow her.

"Not so fast, Scorpius," said Neville.

Scorpius stopped. "Yes Professor?" he asked.

"Do you remember when I said that I'd always be here if you needed to talk?"

Scorpius nodded.

"Well that offer's still open."

Scorpius sighed.

"I kissed Rose Weasley," he said.

"I noticed," replied Neville. "And why did you do that?"

"I don't know. My aunt's ill and she was comforting me and it just happened."

"I see," said Neville. He waited for Scorpius to continue, but he didn't.

"Just promise me one thing," Neville said after a minute.

"What?" asked Scorpius.

"Don't hurt her. I've known Rose since she was born and I care about her a lot. You hurt her and Ron Weasley will be getting a letter about it."

Scorpius nodded. "Got it," he said.

"I hope so," said Neville as Scorpius turned to leave.

Scorpius kept trying to talk to Rose over the next few days. But every time she saw him coming, she would dart in the other direction.

One morning Scorpius was sitting with Albus and Blaise, eating breakfast, when Rose walked into the Great Hall.

It had been a week since their kiss and a week since Rose had spoken to him.

Scorpius stood up quickly. "Weasley!" he called.

Rose took one look at him and quickly turned and ran out of the hall.

Scorpius wasn't going to give up that easily this time. He ran after her, finally catching up to her right outside the Great Hall.

"Wait!" he said. She slowed down, but didn't stop.

"Please," he added, a hint of desperation in his voice.

She stopped, turning around slowly.

"What?" she asked, her hands on her hips.

"Why are you ignoring me?" he asked.

"I ignored you for six and a half years. You didn't care then," she said.

"That was different."

"How?"

"We kissed!" he said.

"That was a mistake," she said coolly, turning back around.

"Rose!" he called.

She stopped.

With her back still turned, she said, "You've never called me that before."

"My aunt's gonna be okay. They found a cure. I just thought you might want to know," he said.

Rose spun around. Suddenly she was running towards him. She jumped into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist.

His arms wrapped around her and they backed up against a wall, kissing feverishly.

After a while they pulled apart. His mouth found her neck.

"I'm glad your aunt is okay," she murmured, as he trailed kisses up to ear, where he began nibbling on her earlobe.

"I'm sorry I was ignoring you," she added. "I was just scared you were messing with me or something."

"Shhh," said Scorpius, pressing his mouth to hers again.

"Well, well, well," a voice said.

They pulled apart.

Albus stood a few feet away, a bemused expression on his face.

Scorpius quickly set Rose down.

"So what was that you were telling me after the dance, mate? You know, about not fancying Rose?" asked Albus.

Scorpius turned to Rose.

"We need to start kissing in more private places," he said.

* * *

><p><em>So they finally kissed! I hope you like the chapter. Please review!<em>


	10. Chapter 10

For the first month of dating, things went very well for Rose and Scorpius. It shocked everyone. Nobody had expected them to last that long.

But after a month, things seemed to take a turn for the worst. Their bickering started up again.

Of course it wasn't nearly as bad or as often as before. And it never took them long to forgive each other. But it still happened.

"That's not right," Rose said, peering over Scorpius's shoulder at his Potions essay.

"Stop reading over my shoulder," he snapped, annoyed.

"But the sentence you just wrote down is wrong," she said.

"That's because I can't concentrate with you breathing down my neck, Rose. Go do your own homework."

"Fine," she huffed. "Sorry for trying to help you get a good grade."

Scorpius sighed and turned to look at her. He immediately felt like a jerk when he saw the hurt expression on her face.

"I'm sorry, baby," he said, holding out his arms.

She allowed him to pull her into a hug.

"It's okay," she said, as he planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Now," he said, pulling away and turning back to his essay, "what was it I did wrong?"

Rose smiled. "Just let me pull up a chair, this could take a while."

A few days would pass without any arguing and then something else would happen.

"Rose, do you know where my tie is?" asked Scorpius, as he came downstairs into the common room one morning, where Rose was waiting for him to go to breakfast.

"Why in the world would I know your tie is?" she asked.

"I thought you might have seen it. I think I left in here somewhere."

"It's not my responsibly to keep track of your possessions, Scorpius," said Rose.

Scorpius couldn't help but think that she sounded exactly like his mother.

"I'm not saying it is," he replied, rolling his eyes. "I was just wondering if you'd seen it. No need to scold me."

"I wasn't scolding you."

"It sure sounded like it."

"This is stupid, Scorpius. Why are we even arguing about this?" Rose said.

He sighed. "I don't know. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too," she said.

Then one night in early April, right before the Easter holidays, Scorpius didn't show up for their nightly rounds.

The next morning Rose stormed into the Great Hall, looking around wildly. And there he was, sitting at the Slytherin table, reading the newspaper and calmly sipping coffee.

She marched over to him, ignoring the stares from the other students.

"Where were you last night? We were supposed to do rounds."

"I was busy," replied Scorpius, not looking up from his paper.

"Busy?" Rose repeated coldly.

"Yes," he said, failing to elaborate.

"I see. And what exactly were you busy with? A girl?

Scorpius finally lifted his head to look at her, his eyebrows raised.

"Are you accusing me of cheating on you?" he asked, his voice low.

Rose remained silent.

Scorpius narrowed his eyes.

"I have never cheated on a girl in my life," he said. "And I don't plan on starting now."

He stood up suddenly, pushing past her, and headed for the door.

She followed him out of the Great Hall.

"Scorpius, wait. I'm sorry!" Rose called after him.

He turned around.

"Rose," he said, "if you can't trust me, then how is this relationship supposed to work?"

"I do trust you," she replied.

"Obviously you don't," he said, glaring at her.

Rose felt her eyes tearing up.

"Are you breaking up with me?" she said quietly.

Scorpius's expression softened slightly.

"No," he said. "But I think we need to take a break. That way we have time to cool off and think things over during the holidays."

"A break?" said Rose, a thousand questions zooming through her head.

What did that even mean? How long would this break last? What if he decided he wanted to make the break permanent? Could he see other girls during a break?

But all she said was, "Okay."

Scorpius nodded. "I'm glad you agree that it's for the best," he said.

_I don't agree_, Rose screamed in her head. But she kept quiet.

They both stood there awkwardly for a minute, unsure of what to do or say, until Scorpius broke the silence.

"I'll see you in a week, Rose," he said. Then he turned and walked away.

Rose stood there, watching him go, her tears falling freely now.

A hand touched her shoulder, startling her.

She turned around.

Albus was stading there. He held out his handkerchief to her.

She grabbed it, wiping her eyes and nose.

"Thanks," she sniffed.

"Come here," he said, pulling her into a hug.

She buried her face into his shoulder.

"How much did you hear?" she mumbled.

"Enough," he said. "I heard about the break."

She cringed at the sound of that word.

"But, Rosie, it's gonna be okay. It's just a break. You'll work things out."

"You don't know that."

"He's crazy about you, Rose. There's no way he's gonna let you go for too long."

"Thanks, Al," she said. "You're the best cousin in the world."

He grinned. "Right back at you, Rosie. Now, come on, it's almost time to go. Just think of the Burrow and Grandma's cooking for an entire week. That should cheer you up."

Rose smiled. "That does sound nice," she said.

* * *

><p><em>Well this chapter was kind of sad. I hope you still liked it. Don't forget to leave me a review!<em>


	11. Chapter 11

"So, Scorpius," said Astoria that night at dinner. "How's school?"

"Busy," replied Scorpius, staring at his plate.

"So you're studying hard for your NEWTS?"

"Yes," he said, still not looking up.

Astoria desperately tried to think of something to say that would get him talking.

"Are you dating anyone right now?" she asked. This seemed to be wrong thing to ask. Scorpius gripped his fork tightly, his knuckes turning white.

"Sort of," he finally said. "We're on a break."

"Who is it?" asked Astoria.

"Er… nobody you know," said Scorpius. He stood up suddenly. "I don't really wanna talk about it. I'm going upstairs.

Astoria watched as he hurried out of the room, then turned and looked at Draco.

"I wonder what happened," she said.

Draco shrugged. "I try to stay out of Scorpius's love life. Too complicated for me."

"Well I'm worried about him. He didn't touch his food and I made his favorite."

"Don't worry so much, love. School is probably just stressing him out," said Draco, grabbing Astoria's hand and giving it a small squeeze.

She gave him a small smile. "You're probably right."

Up in his room, Scorpius was lying on his bed, lost in thought.

He couldn't believe how stupid he'd been. For the life of him he could not understand why he had wanted to take a break in his relationship with Rose. All he could think about was how much he missed her.

What did taking a break even mean? Would she be allowed to see other guys? An image of Rose with some random stranger popped in his head. He felt sick. He tried to remember the rules of breaks, but he couldn't. For a minute he almost wished he had access to the muggle Internet. That would certainly be able to tell him.

Later in the evening, Draco was sitting in his study, working, when Scorpius appeared in the doorway.

"May I come in?" he asked.

Draco nodded, pushing aside his parchment and leaning back in his chair.

Scorpius walked in and sat down in the chair across from his dad.

Scorpius was silent for a minute before finally asking, "Did you ever take a break in a relationship with someone?"

Draco thought for a moment. "I don't think so," he finally said.

Scorpius groaned. "I'm so stupid. What if I messed this up for good?" he asked.

"You're so young, son. They'll be plenty of other girls."

"But this girl is different. She's special."

"Well if that's really true, then things will work themselves out," said Draco.

Scorpius was silent, still worrying.

"You're a good kid, Scorpius," Draco said after a minute. "I don't tell you enough, but I'm proud of you."

"I'm nothing special," mumbled Scorpius.

"That's not true," Draco replied. "You're a much better person than I'll ever be."

Scorpius watched his father's right hand unconsciously move to his left forearm, where the Dark Mark was still branded into his flesh.

"That was the past, dad. You're a good person now."

"Nowhere near as good as you. You have no prejudices, no interest in the Dark Arts, you're smart. You have everything going for you, Scorpius."

Scorppius smiled. "Thanks, Dad."

"That girl of yours, whoever she is, is a very lucky girl if she holds your heart."

"I actually think that I'm a lucky guy," said Scorpius.

Draco shrugged. "Maybe you're both lucky," he replied.

Scorpius stood up. "It was really nice talking to you, Dad," he said.

Draco watched him walk out the door.

"You two will work things out," he called after him. "I'm sure of it."

Scorpius hoped he was right.

* * *

><p><em>Hopefully Draco's right. <em>

_Please review!_


	12. Chapter 12

CRASH!

Scorpius awoke with a start.

"Shit," he heard a voice mumble.

Sitting up in bed and flicking on the lamp beside his bed, he grabbed his wand and looked around.

Rose Weasley was standing by his dresser, staring down at his possessions that had once been on top of the dresser, but which were now scattered on the ground.

"Bloody hell, Rose! What are doing?"

She looked up at him sheepishly. "I tried to apparate into your room, but I accidently landed on your dresser."

Scorpius glanced at his clock. "It's 3 am, Rose."

"I know, but I really needed to talk you." She bent down to start picking up his things.

"I'll do that later," he said. "Now what was it you wanted to talk about?"

She straightened back up and turned to face him.

"I just hated the idea of you being mad at me for an entire week. I should have trusted you. I'm sure you had a good reason for missing rounds," she said quickly, her words running together. She took a deep breath.

"And… and I don't like being on a break," she added at the end, looking down at her feet.

"Rose," said Scorpius. "Look at me."

Rose glanced up.

"I don't like being on a break either."

"It was your idea," she said, looking surprised.

"Not one of my best."

She walked closer to him, so that she was standing right next to his bed. "Does that mean that this stupid break is over?"

He nodded.

"So you're not mad at me anymore?"

"No," he replied, lying back down. "I'm not."

"Good," she said with a yawn. "I'm tired. I should go," she added.

He patted the space next to him. "Don't go," he whispered.

She crawled into the bed next to him. They lie facing each other for a minute before Scorpius broke the silence.

"I love you, Rose," he said.

Rose felt her heart speed up. He'd never said that to her before.

"I love you, too," she replied.

A grin spread across Scorpius's face and he moved closer to her, closing the gap between them, and pressed his lips to hers.

After a few minutes of kissing, Scorpius rolled onto his back, pulling Rose with him, so that she now was lying on top of him.

She began kissing his neck and he let out a small moan. She pulled away and smiled at him. He smiled back.

A few minutes earlier, down the hall, Astoria had also awoken to the sound of the crash. She was quiet for a minute, straining to hear if more noise was to follow. She thought she heard muffled voices, but wasn't sure.

"Draco," she hissed, poking him in the side.

The only response she got was a loud snore.

She poked him again, harder this time. "Draco!"

This time the snore was slightly louder.

Losing patience, she whacked his arm as hard as she could. "Wake up!"

His eyes popped open.

"Wha-?" he mumbled groggily, not sitting up.

"I heard a noise," she whispered

"Mhmm," he replied.

"A loud noise," she clarified.

He turned his head so that he was facing away from her.

"Draco," she snapped. "Go see what it was!"

"No," he muttered. "It was probably just Scorpius."

"Why would a loud crash be coming from Scorpius's room?" she demanded.

"I dunno" he mumbled.

Astoria glared at the back of his head. "Go check," she said.

"No."

"Yes," she insisted.

He didn't respond. A few seconds later, he let out another snore.

Astoria sighed. "Fine, I'll do it myself," she said. "And I know that snore was fake, by the way."

He snored louder.

Groaning, she grabbed her wand from the nightstand, and climbed out of bed.

After slipping into her slippers and robe, she headed for the door, cursing Draco under her breath.

She tiptoed into the hallway, wand poised in front of her.

A light was coming from Scorpius's door. She moved slowly towards it.

When she reached the door, she hesitated for a moment, before finally pushing it open.

She was greeted by the sight of a girl lying on top of her son, kissing him.

She let out a small shriek.

Scorpius sat up quickly, gently shoving the girl off him.

Astoria finally got a look at the girl's face. It was Rose Weasley.

Scorpius and Rose both stared at Astoria, waiting for her to start yelling.

"I'm so getting that ten Galleons from Draco," she finally said.

"What?" they both asked in unison.

* * *

><p><em>Rose and Scorpius can't seem to kiss without someone walking in on them, can they? And Astoria has now won that bet she made with Draco.<em>

_Thanks for reading! Review please!_


	13. Chapter 13

"I'm going to fail all my exams," moaned a slightly hysterical Rose.

She and Scorpius were sitting on the couch in their common room, studying for their N.E.W.T.s, which were fast approaching.

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "You're going to pass them all, probably with Outstandings."

"No I'm not. I'm going to get "T"s on every single one. Then I won't be able to get a job. I'll have to live on the streets in London and beg for food."

Scorpius stared at her for a minute. "That's it, you need to sleep. Now," he said, tugging her textbook out of her hands.

"No, I need to keep studying," she insisted, grabbing the textbook back and flipping it open. She immediately began reading, her eyes moving back and forth at a rapid pace.

"You haven't slept in three days, Rose. You're going mad," he replied, reaching out and closing the book.

"That's not true," she argued. "It's only been two days."

"Oh well, if it's only been _two_ days, then that's fine," he replied, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

Rose didn't seem to notice. "I'm glad you agree," she said, opening the book back up.

Scorpius, who was now completely fed up, yanked the book out of her hands and tossed it across the room.

Rose stared at him, her eyes wide.

"Sleep. Now," he said.

"But…"

"Please, Rose," he said. "For me?"

She sighed. "Fine."

He grinned and stood up.

"Come on," he said, holding out his hand to her.

She took it and he pulled her up.

"You know, now that I think about it, I am really tired," she said, her eyelids drooping.

"I can't imagine why," replied Scorpius.

She swayed a little and he reached out to steady her.

"Looks like I'm going to have to carry you," he said.

He scooped her up in his arms and headed for the stairs.

"You never told me what you were doing," said Rose suddenly.

"Huh?" asked Scorpius, confused.

"When you missed rounds."

"'It's not really important," he said, reaching Rose's room and setting her down. "Now please go get your pajamas on."

She put her hands on her hips and didn't move. "Not until you tell me what you were doing."

Scorpius sighed. "Fine," he said. "I had to go the hospital wing."

"What happened?"

"I broke my wrist. I needed Madame Pomfrey to mend it."

"Why didn't you just let me know before rounds? That way I would have known where you were."

"Well it was kind of embarrassing how it happened," replied Scorpius, looking sheepish.

"What?"

I tripped over my own foot and put my hand out to stop my fall."

Rose giggled. "Seriously?"

"I think it's time for you to go to bed now," he said, ignoring her.

"You know, I don't think I'm as tired anymore. I think I'll go study some more," she said, attempting to slip past him to the door.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

"You're not going anywhere except for the bathroom. Where you will change into your pajamas and do whatever else it is that you girls do before bed. Then you will come back out here and go to sleep."

She looked at, eyebrows raised.

"Please," he added, flashing her his most charming smile.

"Fine," she groaned, grabbing her nightgown and heading for the bathroom. "But I don't appreciate how bossy you're being."

"You'll appreciate it later. After you _don't_ pass out from exhaustion in the middle of one of your exams."

She rolled her eyes and shut the door.

Ten minutes later, she was back.

"Get in bed," urged Scorpius.

"Okay, but when I fail all my N.E.W.T.s , I'm blaming you," she said, climbing into bed and pulling the covers over her.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take," he said.

A minute later she was sound asleep.

Scorpius walked over to the bed and looked down at her sleeping figure. She finally looked calm, something that she hadn't been since the holidays ended.

He leaned over, pressing his lips to the forehead. She let out a contented sigh in her sleep.

He straightened back up and smiled. "I love you, Rose," he said, before turning and heading to his own room.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks for reading! I hope you liked the chapter. Reviews are appreciated!<em>


	14. Chapter 14

"Scorpius! Wake up!" Rose called, bursting into Scorpius's room.

He groaned, turning his head away from her.

"Scorpius!" she said, poking him in the side.

He ignored her.

She hopped into the bed and began jumping up and down.

"Bloody hell, _Weasley_! What are you doing?"

"Trying to get you up, _Malfoy_!" she said, still jumping.

Scorpius smirked and reached his arm out, grabbing her leg and pulling her down.

She landed right next to him, their faces inches apart. She giggled.

"Get up," she said, slightly out of breath.

His slid his arm around her waist, pulling her against him. He nuzzled her neck. "I'd rather stay here."

"Scorpius, stop," she said, laughing. "We need to go down to breakfast."

"Why?" he asked, kissing her neck.

"Because," she said, pushing him off her. "It's our last breakfast in the Great Hall ever. We don't want to miss it."

Scorpius rolled onto his back. "It is, isn't it?" he said.

Rose rolled onto her back as well. They both lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.

Finally Rose broke the silence, "I can't believe we're graduating. Seven years went by fast."

"Yeah, it did," Scorpius agreed.

"Scorpius?"

"Mhm?"

"What's going to happen, you know, with us?" she asked, still looking up at the ceiling.

He turned to face her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean once we graduate we're not going to be able to see each other every day. We won't live in the same place or have a whole bunch of classes together. We'll have separate jobs, separate lives. Will our relationship even last?"

"I hope so," said Scorpius.

"That's not very reassuring," said Rose, finally turning to look at him.

"Rose," he murmured. "I can't predict the future. I was always rubbish at Divination. But I do know that right now I love you and right now I want to be with you forever. So as for the future, let's just take it one day at a time and we'll see where it takes us."

Rose nodded. "Okay," she whispered.

Scorpius reached out and took her hand, giving it a squeeze. "Let's go to breakfast. I'm starving."

He stood up and held out his hand, pulling her up.

After getting dressed, they walked down to the Great Hall.

They found Albus at the Slytherin table and sat down with him.

They ate in silence for a moment, enjoying the delicious food one last time.

Rose glanced at her watch. "In two hours, the three of us are going to be graduates," she said.

Albus shook his head. "That's crazy."

"We've come a long way since our first year, haven't we?" said Rose.

Al chuckled. "Definitely," he agreed. "Can you imagine if someone told your eleven year old self that in seven years you'd be dating this bloke here?" he said, pointing at Scorpius.

Rose giggled. "I'd have told them they were crazy. Actually I would have told them that five months ago, as well."

"True," said Albus, laughing.

They sat there, reminiscing about their time spent at Hogwarts, until all three of them had dissolved into fits of uncontrollable laughter.

Everyone turned to stare at them, watching as they clutched their sides, their loud laughs echoing across the hall.

Rose wiped a tear from her eye. "It's been a good seven years," she said.

Al picked up his glass of pumpkin juice and lifted it in the air. "Here's to seven more," he said.

Rose and Scorpius lifted their glasses up. "Hear, hear," said Scorpius.

They downed their glasses and stood up.

"Come on," said Rose, linking arms with both of them. "We have a graduation to get ready for."

* * *

><p><em>Next chapter will be the actual graduation ceremony.<em>

_Hope you like the chapter. Please review!_


	15. Chapter 15

Rose sat in a chair on the stage that had been set up on the school grounds. The graduation ceremony had just begun. Several teachers had made speeches and it was now time for the students to receive their diplomas.

Rose looked out into the crowd. Two groups of chairs were set up, facing the stage. The left group was filled with Hogwarts students, most of them looking bored. The right group was filled with parents and other family and friends of the graduating students. A large amount of them happened to be part of the Potter-Weasley family.

Rose skimmed the crowd of the students until she spotted her brother, Hugo, sitting next to her cousin Lily. When Hugo caught sight of her he stuck out his tongue and crossed his eyes. She laughed, shaking her head. Hugo laughed too and gave her a thumbs up. Lily gave her a small wave.

She turned and looked at the family section. Her parents were sitting next to Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny. They all smiled reassuring smiles when they saw her.

Professor McGonagall began reading the names.

Rose felt someone kick the back of her seat. She turned around. Albus, who was sitting directly behind her, flashed her a grin. She smiled back.

Finally McGonagall called out, "Malfoy, Scorpius."

Rose joined in the clapping as Scorpius stood up and collected his diploma, shaking hands with the teachers.

A few minutes later, Albus was called. Rose heard a loud cheer come from the Potter-Weasley section of the seats.

After what seemed like ages, McGonagall called out, "Weasley, Rose."

Rose stood up, catching Scorpius's eye.

"Don't trip," he whispered, smirking.

She crossed the stage and accepted her diploma. She had done it. Seven years had all led up to this very moment.

"That's my girl!" came a shout from the audience. Rose looked out into the crowd and rolled her eyes. Her dad was standing up, cheering loudly.

After Rose, Blaise Zabini was the last student to be called. And then the ceremony was over.

Rose made her way down the steps of the stage to go find her family. Albus caught up with her.

They both paused a few feet away from the giant mass of people that was their family.

"You ready for this?" asked Al. Rose nodded. They walked a few more steps and were immediately sucked into the crowd of parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Everywhere Rose turned there was another relative there to grab her into a hug and a kiss. She laughed at the sight of Albus trying desperately to rub Molly Weasley's lipstick off his face. "Merlin, Grandma," he said, as she squeezed him into a giant hug.

Finally the two of them managed to escape. "I wonder what it would be like to have a small family," Albus muttered.

"Probably boring," Rose replied.

"True," he agreed, laughing. "They're insane, but you gotta love 'em."

"Speaking of small families…" said Rose, spotting Scorpius standing a little ways away with his parents and a woman Rose assumed was his aunt Daphne.

Scorpius looked up, spotting Rose and Al. He said something to his parents and then made his way over to them.

"Hey," he said. He looked at Albus. "You have some lipstick on your face, mate."

"Still?" asked Albus, wiping his face with his sleeve.

Rose rolled her eyes and pulled her wand out. She waved it in front of his face and the lipstick disappeared.

"Thanks, Rosie."

Albus glanced around, spotting his girlfriend, Teresa.

"I'll see you guys later," he said, running to catch up with her. "Congratulations!" he called back to them, over his shoulder.

Rose turned to Scorpius. "So now what?" she asked.

"Let's get out of here," he said, grabbing her hand.

"And go where?" she asked, following him.

"You'll see."

A few minutes later, they stood outside the greenhouse.

Before they went in, Scorpius turned and looked up at the castle.

"You know," he said, "it's not as intimidating as it used to be."

Rose looked up at, remembering the first time she saw it, as she rode across the lake in a boat.

"You're right," she said. "I'm going to miss it. It was home for seven years."

They stood in silence for a few minutes staring up at Hogwarts.

Finally Scorpius opened the greenhouse door and they slipped inside.

Rose looked at the corner where they'd had their first kiss. She glanced over at Scorpius who was looking at the spot as well.

He turned his head and saw her staring at him. "What?"

"I love you," she murmured.

Scorpius closed the space between them, kissing her.

"I know," he mumbled against her lips.

She pulled away, giggling. She swatted at his arm. "Excuse me?"

"I love you, Rose," he said, smirking and leaning in for another kiss.

They kissed more intensely than they ever had before. Scorpius's arms wrapped around her waist and he backed her up against a table. He lifted her up, and set her down on it. Her legs wrapped around his waist as they continued kissing.

She felt is hands move to the buttons of her blouse, unbuttoning them and slipping it off. She felt him reach for the clasp of her bra, when she pulled away.

"Not here," she said, panting slightly.

Scorpius took a step back. "Sorry," he said. "Got a little carried away."

"It's okay," she said, hopping off the table and pulling her shirt back on. "Let's get back to our families. They're probably wondering where we are."

She held out her hand to him. He grabbed it and they headed back out into the sunshine. Rose looked up at him and smiled. He smiled back.

* * *

><p><em>One or two more chapters, I think.<em>

_I hope you liked this chapter. Please leave me a review and let me know what you thought!_


	16. Chapter 16

Knock…knock…knock.

"Coming!" Rose shouted, hurrying to the door of her flat.

It had been a year since she'd graduated from Hogwarts. Currently she was living in Diagon Alley, working part time at The Leaky Cauldron and studying to become a healer.

Rose pulled open the door to find a very nervous looking Scorpius Malfoy.

"Hey," she said, smiling. "What are you doing here? Did we have plans?"

"Er, no," he said, staring at a stain on the rug.

"Um, okay, so why are you here?"

"We need to talk," he said, stepping inside the door and heading for the living room, still not making eye contact with her.

_We need to talk_. It was a sentence Rose had read in a thousand different books and seen in a thousand different muggle movies. And it was always followed by one thing… a break- up.

As she followed him into her living room, her mind raced. Why would he be breaking up with her? She tried to remember everything that had happened the last time they'd seen each other. Had there been a fight? She remembered they had gone on a date two nights before. He'd taken her to a movie and then out to dinner. Then they had gone back to his flat…

There had definitely been no indication from him of a break- up then, she decided. Maybe he'd met someone else. Someone prettier, older maybe. Someone worldlier than she was.

Her palms were sweating by the time she reached the living room and sat down on the couch next to him.

"What was it you wanted to talk about?" she asked, bracing herself for the worst.

"Well I'm not sure how to begin," he said, still not looking at her.

"Just tell me what is. Don't sugarcoat it," she said.

"Okay. I got a job." He stared at his shoelaces.

Rose stared at him. "That's it?"

"Aren't you happy for me?" he asked, finally turning to look at her.

"Of course I am. But why aren't _you_ happy?"

Scrorpius took a deep breath. "Well there is a slight catch."

"What?"

"It's at the Ministry…"

"Okay…" said Rose slowly, not understanding how that was a problem.

"In America."

Rose's mouth fell open. "America?" she sputtered. "That's so far away!"

"The Atlantic Ocean isn't that big, Rose," Scorpius reminded her. "At least not compared to the Pacific Ocean."

"It's still pretty damn big!" she argued.

Scorpius just looked at her. He didn't seem to have a response to that.

She shifted uncomfortably. His gaze was so intense. She remembered when her mum had commented about that once. "He looks at you like you're the center of his universe, Rose," she had said.

Rose took a deep breath, willing herself not to cry. "So what's gonna happen to us?"

"You could come with me," he said, quietly.

Her eyes widened. "Are you insane? My entire life is here in England. I can't just run off to America with you. I'm about to become a healer!"

"They have wizard hospitals in America, too. I'm sure one of them would be happy to give you a job."

"What about my family? I can't just leave them behind."

"We'd only be in the states for two years. Then we would come back here and I'd continue my job at the Ministry here in London."

"When are you leaving?"

"In three days."

Rose's heart sank. "So soon?" she asked, her voice cracking.

"Come with me," he begged, his voice desperate.

She shook her head. "I can't, Scorpius."

The way he looked at her then, with such sadness in his eyes, nearly broke her heart.

"Please," he murmured.

Her eyes filled with tears. "It's not practical. We're so young."

"So what?" he asked.

Rose just shook her head again, standing up. "I think you should go now," she said. "I feel like being alone for a while."

"Wait," he said, not budging from his place on her couch.

She turned to face him. "What?"

"Marry me," he said, so quickly she thought maybe she'd misheard him.

"What?"

"Marry me," he repeated, more clearly this time.

Rose felt slightly dizzy. "We're only nineteen, Scorpius. We're too young to get married," she managed to say, trying to remain calm.

"Says who?" he demanded.

"Society," she replied.

"I don't give a rat's arse about society. I just want you to come with me to America and I want you to marry me."

Rose closed her eyes, trying to think straight, but utterly failing. He'd just proposed!

After a few minutes, she finally opened her eyes. He was still sitting on the couch, looking at her. "Have you thought about this at all?" she asked. "Do you even realize what you're saying?"

He nodded, as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a small gray box.

She gasped.

"I've actually thought about it a lot, Rose," he said.

Her legs felt weak and she quickly sat back down.

He opened the box, taking out the ring and holding it out to her.

"It's beautiful," she breathed, watching as it sparkled in the light.

"Take it," he urged.

She reached out for it and he set it in the palm of her hand. She looked at it for a minute and then looked back at him.

"If you leave in three days, then we don't have time to get married before then."

"Yeah, but I was thinking we could get married in America. It's really easy there. Once I heard that in Las Vegas, you can be married at any time, night or day, by a man dressed as that muggle singer, Elvis."

That did not sound particularly appealing to Rose. "My mum would kill me if I ran off to America and got married without her being there. And so would yours."

Scorpius couldn't argue with that one. "Well," he said, "what if we went to America and planned a small muggle ceremony and then all our family could fly out there and attend the wedding?"

Rose looked down at the ring she was still holding. It did sound like a reasonable idea.

"Okay," she whispered.

"Really?" asked Scorpius, his face lighting up.

"Really," she nodded, slipping the ring on her finger.

He grinned, reaching out and grabbing her face between his hands. He pressed his forehead against hers and gazed into her eyes.

"I love you, Rose," he murmured.

"I love you, too," she replied, closing the small gap between them and pressing her lips against his.

* * *

><p><em>So I'm thinking of ending the story here, but I'm not completly sure yet. Let me know what you think.<em>

_Thnks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! _


	17. Chapter 17

Scorpius stood in front of the mirror in the small waiting area outside the bathroom of the church where the wedding was being held. He fiddled nervously with his tie, trying to keep calm.

He and Rose had been in America for a month, living in a small flat, or _apartment _as they said in the States_. _Things were going great at his job at the Ministry and Rose was planning to become a healer at the local Wizard hospital.

A knock on the door broke the silence. "Come in," he called.

The door opened and in walked Albus.

"Hey," he said, walking in and plopping down in a chair next to where Scorpius was standing. "How're you holding up?"

"Not well," replied Scorpius, finally giving up on his tie and sitting down next to Al. He leaned back and closed his eyes. "I can't do this," he murmured.

Albus turned to look at him, frowning. "Of course you can. This _was_ your idea."

Scorpius groaned. "Yeah, but maybe Rose was right after all. Maybe we are too young for this."

"Scorp, what the hell brought this on? Last night you seemed so sure about this."

Scorpius was silent for a minute, his eyes still closed, before he whispered, "Rose is pregnant."

Al's mouth fell open. "What? Since when?"

"I don't know. She told me this morning."

Al was quiet for a minute, trying to absorb the news. "Well, congratulations, mate," he said, after a minute or two. "You two are gonna be great parents."

Scorpius finally opened his, turning to look at Scorpius. "I can't do this," he repeated.

"Can't do what? Get married or have a baby?"

"Either one. She wasn't supposed to get pregnant, Al. I figured we'd get married now, but wait a few years to have kids. We're too young to be parents."

"Well it's a little too late to anything about it now," replied Albus. "So you better get out there and marry her."

Scorpius shook his head, burying his face in his hands.

"Scorpius!" Al snapped.

Scorpius's head popped up, startled by the angry tone of Albus's voice.

"I know you're my best mate, but Rose is my cousin. And if you walk out on her and your unborn child, I will not hesitate to kill you."

"But…"

"No, shut up and let me finish," snarled Albus. "Do you think she's sitting in the ladies room right now wondering if she should go through with this wedding?"

Scorpius shrugged. "Maybe."

"Well I can pretty much guarantee she isn't. I'll bet you right now she's scared as hell, and the only thing she has to comfort her is knowing that you're gonna be there for her and you're gonna marry her and raise this child with her. She needs you more than ever, Scorp."

Scorpius let out a heavy sigh. "I'm such an idiot. She deserves better than me."

"True," said Albus. "But right now, you're all she's got."

Scorpius nodded. "You're right."

Albus grinned. "Of course I am. I _was_ always smarter than you."

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Yeah right, you barely passed your classes. I was the one who got all Outstandings on my N.E.W.T.s."

"Whatever," said Albus, as he stood up. "You have a wedding to get to."

He held out his hand, pulling Scorpius up.

They headed for the door, before pausing right in front of it.

"Just to be clear," said Al, "you are marrying her because you want to, right? And not just because I there's a baby or because I yelled at you."

Scorpius nodded. "I definitely want to marry her," he replied. "I'm scared, but I'll get over it. For her."

"Good," said Albus. He opened the door and they walked out together.

Meanwhile, in the ladies room, Rose was panicking slightly. She stood in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection in the long white dress, her hand on her stomach.

A baby.

What were they going to do?

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. "Come in," she called, trying to keep the quiver out of her voice.

Her mum came in, followed closely by her dad.

"Where's Lily?" asked Hermione, glancing around. Lily was her maid-of-honor and had been helping her get ready.

"She had to go get something," replied Rose, turning away from the mirror, her hand falling back to her side.

"You look beautiful, honey," said Hermione, her eyes tearing up. "Doesn't she, Ron?"

Ron grinned. "She's as beautiful as her mother," he said.

Hermione blushed.

"Thanks," Rose replied. "I love you guys," she added, her voice shaking and tears welling up in her eyes.

"Oh, Rosie, don't cry. I know marriage is a big step, but Scorpius loves you. You two will be fine," Hermione said, her voice soft.

Rose let out a sob. "I know," she said, her gaze dropping down to her stomach, as she wrapped her arms around it.

Glancing back up, she saw Hermione staring at her stomach as well, and Rose knew she had figured out about the baby.

She looked over at her dad, and sure enough, he looked completely oblivious.

"Well," he said, "your mum and I had better get back out there and let you finish getting ready."

He headed for the door, glancing over his shoulder when he reached it. "You coming, Hermione?"

"I'll be there in a minute," she answered.

"Okay," he said, opening the door. "I'll see you soon," he added, as the door closed behind him.

When he was gone, Rose turned to face her mum, who was staring at her, an unreadable expression on her face.

"I'm pregnant, Mummy," she whispered.

A look of shock passed over Hermione's face, before she regained her composure and held out her arms. "Come here, baby," she said.

Rose walked over to her, snuggling into her mum's arms.

"I'm scared," she mumbled into Hermione's shoulder.

"I know," replied Hermione, rubbing her daughter's back. "I know."

After a few minutes, Rose pulled back, wiping her eyes. "I don't know how to be a mother."

"Do you think anybody does? When you were born, Ron and I were scares out of our wits. We had no idea what to do. You were our guinea pig in a way," she said, laughing. "But we figured in out, and look what we got. A beautiful, intelligent, wonderful daughter."

"Thanks, Mum," Rose said, a small smile making its way across her face. "I love you."

'I love you too, Rosie," replied Hermione. "Now are you ready to get married?"

Rose nodded. "Yeah. I am."

Fifteen minutes, Rose took a deep breath and stepped into the church. She began to make her way slowly up the aisle, clutching her bouquet nervously. She glanced up and caught sight of Scorpius, standing at the front, on the altar. He flashed her his brilliant smile, never taking his eyes off her. She smiled back, knowing that she would never love anyone as much as she loved him.

* * *

><p><em>So I decided to write a little bit more. After this there's going to be an epilogue and then it really will over. <em>

_Thanks for reading! Please review._


	18. Epilogue

King's Cross Station was as crowded as usual as a blond-haired boy pushed his way through the crowd with his luggage trolley.

His parents hurried along behind him. His mother was clutching the hand of a small girl with strawberry-blonde hair.

"Albus Malfoy!" the boy's father shouted. "Slow down, your sister can't keep up!"

Albus groaned, but came to a stop anyway. As the rest of his family caught up, he sighed impatiently. "Come on," he said, bouncing up and down excitedly. "We don't wanna be late."

"We're not going to be late, Al," said his mother. "The Hogwarts Express doesn't leave for another 15 minutes."

They approached the barrier between platforms 9 and 10 and Albus looked up at it in awe. It was his first year going to Hogwarts.

He looked back at his parents uncertainly. The confidence he'd had only a minute before was gone. Suddenly he was just a scared little boy again.

His father walked forward and took his hand. "Come on," he said. "We'll go through together."

Albus nodded and together they walked through the barrier.

On the other side, Albus looked around in amazement. Platform 9 ¾ was a flurry of activity. Students were pushing through the crowds of people trying to find friends. Parents were shouting last minute instructions after them.

A minute later, Al's mother and sister appeared. His mother looked around. "It hasn't changed at all, has it?"

"Al!" a boy shouted from several feet away. "C'mere. We need to find a compartment."

"I'll be there in a minute," he called.

Al turned to his parents, unsure of what to say. He'd never really had to say goodbye to them before. He'd never been away from home for longer than a night before. And now he was going to be gone until Christmas.

He shuffled his feet nervously, staring at the ground. "Er… I'll guess I'll see you later."

His father bent down, so that they were face to face. "Don't be scared, Al. Everything will be fine."

"I'm not scared," he replied, but his voice faltered slightly, giving him away.

"If you say so," replied his father with a knowing smile.

"I'm not," he said, turning to stare at the train.

His father followed his gaze. "You know," he said. "The first time I ever saw your mum was on that train."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It was love at first sight."

Above them, Al's mother snorted loudly.

"Okay, I'm lying," his father admitted. "I hated her."

"I hated you more," she replied.

He laughed. "I doubt that's possible."

"Al! Hurry up!" called Albus's friend again.

"I have to go," Al said.

His father pulled him into a hug. "You'll do great," he whispered.

Al pulled away and turned to his mother. "Bye Mum," he said, allowing her to give him a kiss on the cheek.

"Promise you'll write soon," she said, trying not to cry.

"Yeah, yeah. I promise."

He turned to leave and his sister burst into tears.

"Don't leave," she cried, grabbing his arm.

He patted her head. "Don't worry, Daphne. I'll write to you every day, okay? And I'll see you at Christmas."

She sniffed. "That's so far away."

"Not that far away. Only a few months."

"I wanna go with you."

"You can't. You're only six. You have to wait til you're eleven."

She pouted. "That's not fair!"

"I know," he said. "But that's how life his. Now I really have to go. Bye Daphne."

"Bye- bye Al."

He gave them all one last wave and then darted into the crowd.

His father, mother, and sister all stood watching until the Hogwarts Express pulled away.

On the way back to the car, Daphne fell asleep in her mother's arms. They carefully placed her in the backseat and buckled her in. As they pulled out of the parking lot, they both stared up at King Cross Station.

"Brings back a lot of memories, doesn't it?" asked Scorpius, turning to his wife and smiling.

"It sure does," replied Rose, reaching for his hand and giving at a squeeze.

"So what house do you think Al will be in?" Scorpius asked her.

"Definitely Gryffindor," she replied immediately.

He pulled his hand away from hers, his forehead crinkling in concern. "There's no way. That boy is a Slytherin through and through."

Rose laughed. "He's a Gryffindor."

"Care to bet on that? Say 10 Galleons?"

Rose lifted an eyebrow. "You're on."

He grinned. "I'm so going to win."

He next day they received a hastily scribbled note.

_Dear Mum and Dad,_

_Hogwarts is great! I've been sorted into Hufflepuff. I'll write soon._

_Love, _

_Al._

Scorpius stared down at the letter. "A Hufflepuff?"

"I've got to be honest. I wasn't expecting that," said Rose.

"A Hufflepuff?" Scorpius repeated.

"I guess this means neither of us is getting 10 Galleons," said Rose, laughing at her husband's shocked expression.

"A Hufflepuff?"

"Okay, sweetie, put the letter down," said Rose gently, tugging the parchment out of his hands.

"Okay," he said, allowing her to lead him into the sitting room. They sat down on the sofa and were quiet for a few minutes.

Then Rose broke the silence. "Please don't be upset that he's a Hufflepuff, Scorpius. I thought you didn't care about that kind of thing."

"I don't," he responded. "It's just that Malfoys have always been in Slytherin."

"That's true. But things change, you know. Malfoys have never married Weasleys, but that happened. Malfoys have always been pure-blooded, but not anymore. Malfoys have never had daughters, but—"

"Alright, I see your point," said Scorpius, laughing.

"So you're okay with your Hufflepuff son?"

"I'm more than okay with my Hufflepuf son."

"Good," she said, leaning in for a kiss.

She pulled away and rested her head on his shoulder, staring at the photographs up on the mantle.

There was the photo of her and Scorpius on their wedding day, standing outside that church in America, smiling and waving and surrounded by their family and friends.

There was the photo up Scorpius at the hospital in America, holding a newborn Albus and grinning up at the camera.

There was the very similar photo of Scorpius holding baby Daphne, only this time they were at St. Mungo's.

There was the photo of Al on his toy broomstick when he was seven, the photo of Daphne helping her mum plant flowers in the garden, and the photo of both Al and Daphne in front of the Christmas tree, ripping open their presents on Christmas morning the previous year.

Rose smiled contentedly. "We did a good job, didn't we?"

"We sure did," replied Scorpius. "We sure did."

* * *

><p><em>So it took way too long, but I finally wrote the epilogue to this story. <em>

_I hope you liked it. Please review!_


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